Overtrusting Robots


Half-day Workshop

29th IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication (Ro-Man 2020)

Morning of September 4, 2020

Online event

We are living in a time where we increasingly rely on algorithmic systems for a multitude of activities. Simple activities, such as finding the nearest shared bike on an app, and more complex ones, such as voting or getting a job, are often directly affected by decision-making processes carried out by algorithms. Thus, as a society, we need to trust that the systems run correctly and that we can rely upon them. The case of autonomous vehicles or surgery robots very intuitively illustrates this need for trust in automation. Yet, while many researchers and policymakers highlight the importance of trust in a (robotically) mediated world, comparatively little research exists on what happens when too much trust is placed in robots. Therefore, we call for new research on overtrust and automation biases.

In this workshop, we will investigate what happens when trust becomes overtrust and automation bias seeps in. We will analyze scenarios when trust in automation becomes destructive for an individual, groups of individuals, and society at large, in particular when such overtrust leads to physical (e.g., injuries, damages) and psychological (e.g., manipulation) consequences. Upon this basis we will determine the policy implications of our findings and set a research agenda that we will publish as an expert opinion.

The workshop will bring together a group of researchers across disciplines and practitioners interested in sharing their knowledge and expertise on how to address the topic of overtrust in robots. We welcome input statements from researchers that have studied trust in robots, experts from the HRI and HCI communities, experts in NLP, design, psychology, and the social sciences including ethics, law, sociology, and philosophy.

Workshop Schedule

09:15 Zoom room opens for participants to gather (invite via email only)

09:30 Welcome speech by organizers

09:40 Keynote from Dr. Maartje de Graaf followed by a group discussion

10:20 Short break

10:30 Presentations by workshop participants (1-4) followed by commentators & sketching of policy recommendations/research outlook

11:30 Short break

11:40 Presentations by workshop participants (5-7) followed by commentators & sketching of policy recommendations/research outlook

12:30 Synthesis of policy recommendations and setting of research agenda/roadmap/action points

12:45 End


Website & more information

For more information please visit this link.